Carolina Panthers Will Be One of the NFL's Most Dangerous Teams in 2015

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera orchestrated one of the NFL's most impressive coaching performances during the 2014 campaign.

What the Panthers accomplished by winning the NFC South despite a 7-8-1 record laid the groundwork for the team's long-term success.

The maturation of the team's young players along with improved health and offseason upgrades can make this year's Panthers more closely resemble the team that finished 12-4 in 2013 instead of the team that didn't finish above .500 in 2014.

The Panthers didn't sacrifice wins despite a midseason youth movement. Instead, Rivera's adjustments within his roster were exactly what the team required to win five straight games before finally falling to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Nine different starters who didn't begin the season atop the depth chart opened the contest against the Seahawks.

The Panthers' late-season resurgence started when Rivera made multiple changes and allowed young players to step into starting roles. Those same players flourished when presented with the opportunity.

Cornerback Josh Norman was the prime example.

Norman simply didn't flourish—he quickly developed into one of the most physical cover corners in the NFL during the second half of the season.

The cornerback from Coastal Carolina finished fourth in coverage snaps per receptions surrendered, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Only the Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman, Indianapolis Colts' Vontae Davis and New England Patriots' Darrelle Revis finished with a better percentage.

They are all going to the Pro Bowl. Norman is not.

Opposite Norman, rookie Bene Benwikere quickly developed into a strong nickel cornerback, but he eventually became the team's No. 2 cover corner. Benwikere, a fifth-round pick in May's NFL draft, received the highest grade from PFF (subscription required) among members of the Panthers' secondary.

Cornerback wasn't the only position to see an upgrade due to youthful exuberance.

Once Benwikere was required to play more outside cornerback, safety Colin Jones began to cover the slot. Jones, a fourth-year player who mainly contributed on special teams, is an athletic upgrade over the rest of the Panthers' safeties, and Carolina's coaching staff relied more and more on him as the season progressed.

During the playoffs, Jones was the field 71 percent of the time.

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Safety Tre Boston was also granted a starting role the same week as Benwikere. The duo never looked back.

The rookie from North Carolina started the final six games of the season, including the playoffs. As the team's starting free safety, Boston recorded a pair of interceptions and finished the season with positive PFF grades (subscription required) against the run and pass.

The added athleticism and speed in the secondary allowed the entire unit to play fast and aggressive football, and it showed during the second half of the season.

"When I looked at it, I just felt we have to put a little more speed in the defensive secondary," Rivera told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer prior to the start of the playoffs. "We were trying to find answers as a coaching staff, trying to find the right combination of guys. And we found it."

Carolina's secondary wasn't the only unit to receive a major midseason overhaul.

The Panthers' offensive line struggled as the coaching staff attempted to find its best combination. By the end of the season, that mystery was solved.

With a pair of rookie guards and a journeyman right tackle, the Panthers finally found some consistency within their offense.

Ryan Kalil is a rock in the middle of Carolina's offensive line. However, the play of his guards proved to be inconsistent.

The transition up front started when an undrafted rookie, Andrew Norwell, was inserted into the lineup in Week 8. Norwell went on to start the team's remaining 11 games. The Ohio State product finished the season as the team's highest-graded (subscription required) offensive lineman and secured a spot at left guard.

Three weeks later, Trai Turner was moved back into the starting lineup at right guard.

Turner spent most of the preseason atop the depth chart, but he struggled and suffered a couple of lingering injuries that only allowed him to play sparingly through the first half of the season. He then started the final nine games and became the team's future as the strong-side guard.

The final piece of the offensive line puzzle was laid into place during the team's Week 12 bye.

Rivera held a competition at right tackle to discover who would replace an injured Nate Chandler. Amini Silatolu, who started 25 career games at guard, was the favorite to win the job. Mike Remmers seized the moment, though.

The Panthers are Remmers' sixth team after only two years in the league. However, he played himself into a starting spot during practice, and he'll enter next season with a chance to be a part of the team's future plans.

Rivera also decided a shakeup was required at wide receiver.

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Another undrafted free agent, Philly Brown, was given the opportunity to start in order to provide more speed at the skill positions. Brown teamed with fellow rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to make the Panthers offense more dynamic.

While Benjamin was one of the league's best rookie receivers, Brown showed he can be the deep threat that was lacking in the Panthers offense at the onset of the season.

When the organization released veterans Antoine Cason and Jason Avant in the middle of the season, it came as a shock. However, it proved to be the best thing Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman could have done.

The Panthers received major contributions from multiple rookies and young veterans. Each of them provided something different to make the team better. This gives the organization a far brighter outlook than it did when it struggled through a six-game losing streak in the middle of the 2014 campaign.

Along with the natural progression of the team's young core, a healthy Panthers squad becomes vitally important to the team's success in the future.

All teams are rattled by injuries throughout the season. Very few of them suffered the type of injuries to key players that the Panthers did last year.

The health of the team's backfield will be particularly important.

Quarterback Cam Newton was never fully healthy in 2014. The Auburn product was hobbled due to an offseason ankle surgery. He suffered cracked ribs during the preseason. Then a scary, in-season traffic accident broke two vertebrae in his back. Nevertheless, the fourth-year signal-caller continued on.

Newton still finished the season with 3,127 passing yards and 539 rushing yards despite missing two games due to the myriad of injuries that plagued him.

An offseason to recover and finally spend more time working on his mechanics will do wonders for the impressive dual-threat quarterback.

Newton is joined in the backfield by running back Jonathan Stewart. The Oregon product finally resembled the back who was once drafted in the first round in 2008. Other than in the 2009 campaign, Stewart hasn't lived up to expectations. His career has been plagued with injuries.

The running back dealt with a knee injury at the start of the 2014 season, but his performance at the end of the campaign was as impressive as anyone's on the roster. Stewart rushed for 594 yards during the team's final six games.

With DeAngelo Williams' uncertain future, Stewart should enter next season as the bell cow of the Panthers offense.

A fully healthy Star Lotulelei will also rejoin the defense in the fall. The talented defensive tackle suffered a fractured foot prior to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Even though Lotulelei's play fell off slightly compared to his outstanding rookie campaign, he presents a rare combination of strength and athleticism along the Panthers' defensive interior. He and Kawann Short form a dynamic, young defensive tackle duo that helps set the tone for the team's talented linebackers.

Injuries may be a part of everyday life for every NFL team, but few teams deal with injuries to their quarterback, top running back and best young defensive player throughout the season. Carolina did and still proved to be successful.

The Panthers will be even better in 2015 when each of them are back on the field and producing at a high level.

Finally, the franchise has an opportunity to upgrade at key positions to restore the team's status as one of the NFC's top teams.

Three primary issues will likely be addressed during the offseason.

It's starts at left tackle. Veteran Byron Bell vehemently believes he'll return as the team's starting blindside protector, per ESPN.com's David Newton:

"

I feel I played well my first season at left tackle.

I feel like next season I can come back and make some noise. I’m not going to give up on my dreams or aspirations. Somebody writes this about me on Twitter, Pro Football Focus, blah, blah, blah. I know what I’m capable of. 

"

PFF graded (subscription required) Bell as the second-worst offensive tackle in the NFL last season.

It became clear very early in the season that the former right tackle didn't really possess the requisite athleticism to be a full-time left tackle. However, the Panthers didn't have a better option. The organization will be actively searching for one.

The free-agent offensive tackle class is thin, though. Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga and an aging Michael Roos are arguably the best options.

The team may turn toward the NFL draft to address the position. With the 25th overall pick, players such as LSU's La'el Collins, Miami's Ereck Flowers and Colorado State's Ty Sambrailo could all be in the conversation.

Another cornerstone piece to any franchise will also be high on the team's list of priorities.

Defensive end Greg Hardy may have told teammates that he would play for free if he could return to the Panthers, via Newton, but his legal issues remain at the forefront.

According to The Associated Press' Steve Reed, Gettleman wouldn't address Hardy's future with the organization during a press conference on Tuesday:

Jason Pierre-Paul and Jabaal Sheard may be the best available free agents to fill the void left by Hardy and join a defensive end rotation alongside Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Wes Horton and Mario Addison.

This upcoming draft class is particularly deep with edge-rushers, and an intriguing prospect or two could fall into the team's lap.

Finally, the offense needs more weapons at wide receiver. Benjamin and Brown are a good start, but Cam Newton needs a full complement of targets to realize his full potential.

A few headline free agents will dominate the market, but none of them are expected to escape their current teams. With that said, Michael Crabtree and Cecil Shorts would be tempting options. Alternatively, the Panthers could once again draft a top target and hope he turns out as well as Benjamin did.

According to Over the Cap, the Panthers are $15.45 million under the projected salary-cap figure for 2015. It's not a massive amount of space, but it's enough to make a move or two that can significantly upgrade the overall roster if Gettleman spends wisely.

The 2014 season essentially became a test run for the following campaign.

Gettleman was forced to make hard decisions throughout the roster, and it severely depleted the team's overall talent pool. A strong draft along with the coaching staff's ability to develop talent allowed the Panthers to still make the 2014 playoffs.

After going through last year's rough patch, the Panthers are again an ascending franchise. The foundation was built during an up-and-down campaign. Through those trials and tribulations, Carolina found out exactly what it had on the roster and what it can be moving forward.

The Panthers' future certainly looks bright as a result.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.